Aging iPhone 11 batteries won’t take such a toll on performance

Years from now, even with a nearly worn-out battery, an iPhone 11 should still be up to high-end games. Photo: Apple

All types of phone batteries provide less power after years of use, but the new iPhone 11 minimizes the performance reduction that is an inescapable result.

The result should be iPhones that perform better after years of use.

Batteries wear out. It’s inevitable.

There’s nothing Apple can to to prevent the batteries used in iPhones from wearing out. After years of use, they can hold less power. Even worse, they can also provide less current. This can cause an iPhone to crash if their processor requires more power than their nearly worn out batteries can deliver.

That’s why iOS gives users of older devices the option to throttle the performance of their device. Doing so requires less power. And that means the iPhone is less likely to unexpectedly shut down because of battery problems.

iPhone 11 to the rescue

Apple can’t make batteries immortal, but it can design handsets to minimize the effects of aging batteries.

A new document on Apple’s support website describes how the iPhone 11 series deals with this problem:

“The new built-in software and hardware system is automatic, always-on, and works to provide the best possible performance as battery aging occurs over time. iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max power needs are dynamically monitored, and performance is managed so that it can address these needs in real time. The system is more advanced than previous iPhone battery and power management systems and allows your iPhone to reduce performance impacts from battery aging.”

However, the company also warns that there’s only so much it can do. Users of older iPhone 11 series units will still experience effects of a battery that’s wearing out.

The support document says:

“While performance impacts are reduced as much as possible, battery aging might still eventually lead to noticeable, possibly temporary, effects. Depending on the battery state and the tasks that your iPhone is handling, examples might include longer app launch times, lower frame rates, reduced wireless-data throughput, backlight dimming, or lower speaker volume.”

The iPhone 11 series packs a new A13 Bionic processor designed to give it blazing-fast performance. Apple’s new system for ameliorating effects of aging batteries will let the smartphones maintain that performance as long as possible.